Listowel report: Catherine Gannon might not have had time to properly celebrate her birthday yesterday but Peineve still provided her with the perfect present by scoring at Listowel.
At one stage of the season the apprentice title looked all but certain for Gannon but the chasing pack have been slowly narrowing the gap and a 29th winner of the season is just what Ireland's foremost female rider needed most.
Peineve did it for her with a courageous length and a half defeat of Leeside Music in the fillies handicap to give Gannon a seven winner lead over her nearest pursuer Rory Cleary.
"It's been a great year and I hope I can win the championship. All I can do is my best," said Gannon who just missed out on being top apprentice last year and who celebrated her 23rd birthday yesterday.
"She likes going around horses rather than through them but I thought I got there too soon. She's the 79th winner of my career," added the Dublin born rider.
"Cathy gets on very well with the horse but we won't be too hard on the filly this season. She might be one for the Lincoln next year because she's improving and loves soft ground," said Peineve's trainer Tim Doyle.
The Co Dublin trainer Adrian McGuinness is hoping Victram's thrilling short head defeat of Dr Julian in the Lartigue Hurdle will kick start his career.
"I've only got four thoroughbreds now because at the start of the season a major owner sold up due to personal problems leaving me with very few horses. Hopefully this will kick start things for me again," he said.
Favourite backers were having their hearts kick started as 18-year-old Mark Walsh just held off the Ruby Walsh ridden runner-up after taking it up at the third last.
"I thought he'd gone a bit soon but he had no choice," said McGuinness. "We might go to Cheltenham in November or wait for the big handicaps after Christmas." The Weld and O'Brien camps unveiled two year olds in the mile maiden but it was the newcomer from the Willie Mullins yard, Mister Hight, who won out after an impressive display. "I wasn't expecting that!" smiled Mullins after his €60,000 purchase from a breeze up sale in France powered three and a half lengths clear of Dillons Dilemma.
"There's been no two-year-old winner in two or three generations of his family and I thought he would make a useful three-year-old hurdler next year. But he looks cheap now," Mullins added.
Another jockey in celebratory form was Fran Berry who reached the half century for the first time in his career on board Commoya in the six furlong handicap.
"We'll probably run here again on Friday with the penalty," said trainer Tom Hogan. "He's quite a tricky horse. He'd had knee problems and the soft ground probably suited him."
John Ells was third reserve for the auction maiden but Wayne Lordan's 20 to 1 mount got a run and made it count by getting the better of Devious Diva with the favourite Mermaid Island only fourth after getting blocked a furlong out.
"I'm more shocked than anyone!" said the winner's part-owner Bill Murphy while the favourite's rider Pat Smullen reported: "I don't think the interference made much difference. I was never travelling."
Bookmaker turnover topped the million mark at €1,058,409 compared to last year's figure of €922,716 which came from eight races. The Tote however was down from €277,246 to €265,196.
